If You Like Socialism You Will Love Fascism!

Just watched most of the first presidential news conference. OMG it was boring, long winded, did I say boring? More like a monologue and with such stimulating questions about baseball and steroids! How about "Do you think there are Taliban in Pakistan?" Wow! I don't know, what do you think? Is the Pope catholic? Ok so its not funny but here is what is scary. No doubt about it Barak is a populist but not in the best of way. From Wikipedia: "Populism may involve either a philosophy urging social and political system changes and/or a rhetorical style deployed by members of political or social movements competing for advantage within the existing party system." Rhetoric? You bet! But why scary? Welllll when someone opposes you you invoke vilification of those who oppose you.

By the way, for the record, when the Stimulus bill was voted down in the house 100% of the Republicans voted against it. They were also blamed for it's defeat and the claim was made that they were partisan and not bi-partisan. Well guess what, not a single republican vote was needed to pass the bill and it was only defeated because of many democrats (Gang of 18) voting along with the Republicans!! Uh, that sound bi-partisan to me! Just not the way the Pres and other Dems want bi-partisan to be!

Ah but is digress, let's return to the scary part. There is an interesting paragraph in Wikipedia under the heading of Populism and about the vilification of anyone who opposes you. Here it is:

Populist movements can be precursors for, or building blocks for, fascist movements.[29][30][31] Conspiracist scapegoating employed by various populist movements can create "a seedbed for fascism."[32] National socialism populism interacted with and facilitated fascism in interwar Germany.[33] In this case, distressed middle–class populists during the pre-Nazi Weimar period mobilized their anger at government and big business. The Nazis "parasitized the forms and themes of the populists and moved their constituencies far to the right through ideological appeals involving demagoguery, scapegoating, and conspiracism."[34] According to Fritzsche: The Nazis expressed the populist yearnings of middle–class constituents and at the same time advocated a strong and resolutely anti-Marxist mobilization....Against "unnaturally" divisive parties and querulous organized interest groups, National Socialists cast themselves as representatives of the commonwealth, of an allegedly betrayed and neglected German public....[b]reaking social barriers of status and caste, and celebrating at least rhetorically the populist ideal of the people’s community...[35]

Hmmm, shades of things to come?

Politics - Same Old Same Old

Change, Hope, Cronism, Phoneyism.

The Dems are pushing through a "stimulus" package that is a boondoggle and a lie. Look at it this way, everyone agrees that the "system" is not well. So how do you treat a system? by focusing on a symptom? No. But by treating the whole system. The quote unquote stimulus of the Democrats is like treating the knee cap, or elbow of a body that is systemically not well. What is needed is a treatment that affects the entire body, the entire system. How is this related then to the economic system? Treating symtoms is to pump money into lawn care (Washington Mall resoding), global warming research (mythology) and on and on stupidity. Please note: when these funds are expended, follow the money, much of them will go to contractors that are either unionized or somehow some other way made contributions to the politicians that get the port. So how to treat the whole system? Give the money evenly to everyone. Or better yet, stop taking it from them meaning, lower taxes, stop taxing. Put the money into the pockets of the everyday citizen NOT the bankers, not the corporations, not even the stock holders and certainly NOT into the pockets of politicians! BOTH PARTIES are crooks, however not equally so. Mr. Obama, you may be more noble than the rest of your party but your party is out of control! In naming the crooks I can easily come up with 10 names of dems and am harder pressed to name repubs!Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Christopher Dodd, Dick Schumer, Harry Reid and these are just off the top of my head!

Honestly, I am not sure what is the solution and it is difficult to hang onto much hope but tossing them all out would be a nice option.

37 Years of Bailout History!

In 1971 after my mother died and I had an inheritance, I decided to do two things with my money until I could figure out where to go from there, 1. Finish my college education and 2. Buy a new car. I don't remember how I narrowed my choices down to three specific makes and models except I did have the wisdom to see the handwriting on the wall. I wanted a car that was economical especially with gasoline.

So there I was, looking at brand new Chevy Vega's, Ford Capri's and Toyota Celica's!

The Vega and Capri were eliminated from my choice as the quaility was apparently inferior even from my perspective. I decided to buy the Celica and never regreted it. in fact, I owned it for 25 years and 200,000 miles! It was not eventwo years after buying it that I could not find one incidence of a Vega or Capri on the road. Why? because they were were junk! Crap! I heard that they were actually made to fall apart after a few years so that people whould have to buy a new car every so many years. That was the beginning of the end for the big 3 automakers. They were making crap back then and continued to do so for many years until they lost so many American buyers they lost them forever.

Years after I bought my first Toyota several Chryslers and Fords and for the most part the Chryslers were ugly and pretty junky. The Fords were gas gusslers. By comparison when ever I rode in a foriegn made car the quality was noticeably apparent.

Why bail out the big three? The only reason I can see for it is because so many may lose their jobs. That is always a tragedy. But they could work for far less which is better than not working at all. Who is in the way of that? The unions. I could care less about the unions. No matter what some say THEY are a big part of the problem. Toyota and other car manufactures are doing just fine down south. I this light I suggest you read a short little book titled "Who Moved My Cheese?"

Something not talked about is the need to keep auto manufacturing facilities in open and good repair. One simple word, defense. Our national defense depends in part on our ability to manufacture tanks and other heavy equipment. BUT I would suspect the factories in the south will suffice this need.

Why not bail out the big three? Cause it is a waste of money and rift with back east corruption from the unions to the halls of congress. THIS IS NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF AMERICA! I am losing faith in the leadership of this country and I say throw them out!

Who?

I have been one to think that if Barack Obama was elected we would experience Jimmy Carter II, but lately i have been rethinking that. For one thing Carter was a religious man (sincerely) and tried to be a Christian in office. Obama is in it strickly for greasing palms and personal advancement politically. Jimmy Carter also failed miserably and I am more hopeful for Obama than that!.

No Obama is not Crter the second but rather Clinton the second! Maybe the true black Clinton! With all the talk of change we are seeing the placement of the tired old hacks of the Clinton era. Emanuel, Kennedy (Bobby Jr.) Volker, and even John Kerry! You have got to be kidding me! But here is why Obama is even more like Clinton. Both are liars. Clinton perjured himself and became the first president impeached. Clinton like Obama will say one thing if it is to their advantage then do another. It was this practice of Clinton that lead me, a life long Democrat (up until this point) to leave the Democratic Party and never look back. I don't trust or beleive either the Republicans or the Democrats but i don't trust the Democrats even more. They are as far as I am concerned liars. Not all of them, but more of them, most of them.

I Remember John F. Kennedy

President elect Barack Obama, you have excited many people and mobilized many young people to get involved in the political process. Not since John F. Kennedy have so many young people be mesmerized by eleoquent speech and not since JFK have so many had their hopes lifed.

I rememeber JFK for I was one of those young people inspired and hopefilled by him. I remember JFK and sadly, Mr. Obama, you are no Jack Kennedy! JFK had not only eleoquence but substance, content and decency. Mr. President elect, you are very slick. Listening to you closely which most do not do, and to devel into your carefully chosen words and phrases shows you to be a hollow man, talk and nothing solid. Time will bear you out. Even already there are indications that your "Change we all can beleive in." is nothing more than the same old same old from the democratic partners. Also, watch out Mr. President elect, watch out from your friends, your fellow democratic colleagues which will turn against you in short order.

While i am on this subject allow me to also state clearly here that I think nothing could be worse than harm come to President elect Obama. While I am no doubt not excited by our new president I pray for his safety and I pray for those who have the responsibility for his safety.

The End of America

I have not been one to post politics nor speak about it in relationship to my position in my job or community but that time too has passed with the election tonight. The end of America! The election on this evening of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States marks the departure of America as it has been known. America will now be a socialist government, a weaker nation, and most likely lead the world in a new economic dark night. Chicago corruption comes with Obama and the beginning of the end of free speech. A demagogic Charlatan in the White House with followers that have been deceived by rhetoric and charisma. If you don't believe that listen to his acceptance speech tonight, it is devoid of content, so typical of his eloquent elitist arrogant style. History will bear these things out. It is a sad day.

We shall see in the near future if our military is weakened; that we once again will abandon those we have freed as in Iraq; eliminate secret ballots and stifle free speech; redistribute what one has earned to those who squander; punish success and create new dependency; create stagflation if not a new economic depression.

Too many questions remain unanswered. It will be interesting to see if they will remain unanswered. Half a trillion dollars spent and a media in the hip pocket for now; birth records and religious and radical affiliations.

Goleta Fire

Hard to believe I lived just a half mile from this location. This is a beautiful rancharo fromt he Spanish Days of California.

OK so much for disasters! the next few pictures are from Sedona vacation in July.

The last picture is of Lunchbox at Lake Powell.